In an instant, heavenly light poured down and everyone instinctively held their breath.
At first glance, they saw a gigantic halo floating in the sky, suspended thousands of zhang above, its diameter immeasurable, golden light cascading down from it.
Hou Zhu explained softly, “That is the [Eye of God], the source of light in Eden.”
‘[Eye of God]?’ Su Fu thought, ‘It really does look like an eye.’
The [Eye of God] slowly rotated, its radiance bathing all of Eden.
The group beheld the legendary Eternal Garden.
This was the first level of Eden—countless rare and exotic flowers grew here, blooming in competition, as if it were eternal spring.
Not far away, a clear river meandered through the garden, its mirror-like surface reflected the sky and the halo.
On the other side of the river, orchards full of fruit trees grew, their branches weighed down with heavy fruits, some golden as the sun, some deep red as jewels.
This was Eden—abundant, serene, harmonious, as if time itself stood still, with nothing but harvest and joy forever.
A gentle breeze carried a unique blend of floral scents, relaxing everyone at once.
“Don’t you all feel your divine power surging?”
“Heavens, it’s unbelievable—I feel like divine power is flooding into me!”
“A week here and I’ll be so much stronger!”
Suddenly, they felt incredibly lucky—once in a lifetime, entering Eden was absolutely worth it.
The group hurried forward in excitement.
Su Fu took in the sight before her, thinking, ‘No wonder Eden is called Paradise.’
Following the path, they soon reached the first river—the Bitheon River.
The water wound its way along, sunlight dancing on its surface, the riverbed strewn with gold, red agate, blue sapphire, pearls, and more, all sparkling under the golden light—so beautiful it seemed unreal.
Everyone was dazzled, and further ahead was a rose garden.
The roses were dewy and vibrant, petals layered like velvet.
Su Fu lingered a moment and thought, ‘Were all the flowers here so lovely?’
“This is the Eternal Rose,” Hou Zhu explained beside her, “It’s said they’ve existed since the creation of Eden, and never wither.”
Li suddenly added, “I heard a legend—pluck the Eternal Rose at the center of Eden, and you’ll gain true love.” She paused, “But whether it’s true or not, I don’t know.”
After all, no one had ever plucked one.
Su Fu thought, ‘This kind of romantic product must have great business potential.’
She’d have to add the old matchmaker’s red string to her plans—sure to be a hit.
Further along, they reached the second river, the Gichun River.
This river encircled their destination—the Garden of Life.
This area would be their home for the next week.
The living quarters were even more beautiful: lush green grass dotted with flowers, tall trees interwoven throughout.
Su Fu even spotted little sprites, each only palm-sized with dragonfly wings, scattering points of light as they flew.
But when they saw so many people arrive, they all scurried away, though a few couldn’t resist sneaking peeks at the group in curiosity.
Many candidates squealed at the cuteness.
Besides the stunning surroundings, the facilities were excellent.
Su Fu looked up—white villas were scattered gracefully about, perfectly fitting the Garden of Life’s name, each wrapped in vines and flowers.
Different villas had different blossoms, creating unique styles.
Su Fu’s group was assigned Villa No.16, with a huge ginkgo tree in the yard, golden leaves covering the ground.
She checked the location—near the Gichun River, away from the bustle but not too isolated.
Not bad, not bad—she was quite satisfied.
The villa had three floors: a spacious living room, dining room, and fully-equipped kitchen on the first.
Four bedrooms upstairs, each with a balcony; the third floor was a rooftop terrace—perfect for moon-gazing or a barbecue.
After looking around, Su Fu sat on the living room sofa, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, golden sunlight pouring in.
Through the glass, she could see the shimmering river, a riot of flowers, shaded trees.
Birds skimmed low over the water, sometimes stopping to peck at something on the surface.
In the other direction, she could glimpse other villas, but only their lush plant coverings—not what was behind the glass.
Su Fu thought, ‘The Paradise Pantheon is really generous, giving us such nice accommodations.’
She felt a bit overwhelmed by the favor.
To be honest, coming to Eden was already a huge opportunity—getting all this on top of it made her a bit uneasy.
As the saying goes, never accept a reward without merit.
Not just her—her teammates were clearly delighted, too.
Li came downstairs with a smile, greeted Su Fu, and sat on the sofa as a breeze wafted in with the scent of flowers.
Sunlight slanted across her golden hair, giving her a halo.
Su Fu’s eyes lit up for a moment, ‘So pretty! A true beauty!’
A real feast for the eyes.
At that moment, Hou Zhu called out, “Would you like something to drink?”
He was in the kitchen, expertly slicing fruit, head down, wearing a deep blue apron over his broad shoulders and narrow waist, black hair stirred by the breeze.
Golden sunlight streamed in behind him, making him look even taller.
“Apple juice, please. Thank you,” Dai Li replied cheerfully.
“I’ll have pear juice, thanks,” Jiang Nanchen called as he came downstairs.
“Just water,” Su Fu answered, snapping back to herself.
She was still thinking about the words Hou Zhu had uttered unconsciously while caught in the Thorn Forest’s illusion.
In fact, she suspected that after Hou Zhu woke up, what he truly wanted to ask her was: Did you hear anything you shouldn’t have?
According to what he said, it seemed he had always been tormented by regret.
But that brings up a question—does regret count among the Seven Deadly Sins?
Greed, envy, gluttony, wrath, pride, sloth, lust.
Not one of them is regret.
Or is there one that could make a person suffer that much?
Or maybe… this wasn’t even an illusion of the Seven Deadly Sins at all?
As she pondered deeply, a cup of water was pushed in front of her.
Su Fu looked up and saw Hou Zhu gazing down at her, “Here’s your water.”
She paused, then said softly, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
The group enjoyed a rare moment of peace, but soon Shen Yan’s voice echoed in their ears:
[“Mission Update: Please attend the Crescent Ritual tonight”]
[“Time: One hour after sunset (8 o’clock)”]
[“Location: Base Training Square (map activated)”]
[“Mission Description: This ritual commemorates the seven days of God’s creation. On the first day, light and darkness were created. All examinees, please participate and witness the miracle of creation.”]
Everyone was silent.
“Did everyone get the mission?” Jiang Nanchen put down his pear juice.
“What does it mean, just show up?”
It was so simple.
So simple that none of them had ever received a task like this before—so simple it felt hard to believe.
Dai Li pondered for a while, “Why do I feel like this Saint Land practicum is basically a vacation?”
“It should be for spreading.” Su Fu analyzed, “Spreading the faith of the Paradise Pantheon.”
“From the very beginning, the test of the Seven Deadly Sins, up until this current ‘Seven Days of Creation’ ritual, the difficulty hasn’t been high. It’s more like… immersion in faith.”
It felt, she thought, like touring a foreign country to see the local sights.
Now that they had come to Eden, of course they’d be arranged to experience Paradise Pantheon’s special activities.
Everyone nodded, agreeing with her analysis.
Su Fu took another sip of water.
It was crisp and sweet.
If this had been before, she would probably have just relaxed and enjoyed this “beneficial” task.
But now, beneath the calm, an undercurrent was surging.
The better Eden treated them, the more anxious she felt.
How could there be so many fortunate things dropping from the sky?
After all, behind the scenes now: the Fugitive Priest, inspectors, the Tempting Serpent trapped…
A grand drama was secretly unfolding.
She looked out the window.
The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful; she could no longer see the Thorn Forest.
That was an impenetrable barrier, but also a cage.
Time slipped by, and Su Fu emerged from her cultivation state.
The divine power in Eden was simply too abundant—she had been unwittingly drawn into it, intoxicated until the sunlight faded away.
She went downstairs and suddenly realized this mission was also a form of guidance.
Otherwise, with the examinees’ drive, they might really shut themselves in for seven days and seven nights, never stepping out.
At least, after drinking their water, her team had all returned to their rooms to cultivate.
‘So competitive’, she thought, ‘everyone’s so competitive.’
The four soon gathered downstairs and headed together to Base Training Square.
Su Fu looked up.
By now, the moon was hanging over the treetops, the night as dark as ink, with a full moon high in the sky, pouring silvery light over Eden.
She wondered—the days and nights in Eden really cycled like this?
She’d thought it was eternal daylight.
But maybe this moon was artificial, too?
Like that [Divine Eye of Truth]?
It wasn’t just their team; many teams were heading to the square as well.
The crowd was lively, and Su Fu suddenly felt like they were all out for a night stroll.
No one was sleeping—everyone was out enjoying the night.
Students walked together in small groups, chatting or admiring the scenery.
The scent of flowers drifted everywhere, the atmosphere relaxed and joyful.
Base Training Square was on the other side of the Gichun River.
The square was circular, paved with a pure white kind of jade.
Around it stood twelve tall white stone pillars, each crowned with a burning flame, illuminating the entire area.
At the entrance to the square, several attendants in white robes were distributing matching robes to each arriving examinee.
Su Fu queued up and received hers—the robe was light and smooth, with a hood that covered most of the face, leaving only the chin and mouth exposed.
She glanced at the other examinees entering the square.
Once they put on the robes, it was impossible to tell anyone apart.
Besides the robe, each person also received a Silver Candle.
Su Fu took hers and weighed it in her hand.
It was heavy, the Silver Candle pure white and about as long as her arm, its touch icy cold.
Most importantly, she could faintly sense divine power within.
“Damn, the Paradise Pantheon really is loaded—even the candles are Divine Artifacts.”
Holding the Silver Candle, she entered the square.
Suddenly, the wick ignited on its own, giving off a warm glow.
The flame flickered like a star, with no heat—just pure white light, illuminating everything around.
It was then that Su Fu noticed something underfoot—a formation.
The pattern seemed to be a huge seven-pointed star, with a ring at each tip.
Su Fu sighed inwardly, ‘Could this represent the seven days of creation?’
As for the function of this array, she immediately activated her Divine Eye of Truth: [Purification Blessing Array: Can be used for confession and repentance, cleansing the sins from one’s body]
[Effect: Able to purify the soul, improve the body’s purity, and thereby increase cultivation efficiency.]
Su Fu was startled for a moment.
The Paradise Pantheon was so generous, letting them use something this good?
But soon, she realized something was off, because a line suddenly floated up at the bottom of the information before her eyes, growing more distinct until fully visible: [Status: Polluted]
Su Fu’s expression turned grave, ‘Polluted? Polluted by what?’
‘Abnormality? No, there were no abnormalities here—this was reality. That serpent? No, it couldn’t even help itself, trapped somewhere.’
Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind—’the Fugitive Priest, the one the Tempting Serpent had spoken of.’
Su Fu’s vision went black, “!!!”
‘Heavens above, help!’
She had just wanted to act when, right then, a priest in a white robe trimmed with gold appeared atop the square’s central platform.
He was tall, his face obscured by the hood, so only a blurred outline could be seen.
In his hand was a gilded tome, appearing to be some kind of doctrine or Scripture of Doctrine.
“Welcome, everyone, to the Crescent Ritual. Tonight, we will witness the miracle of creation and receive the grace of God.”
The priest looked over the crowd, his voice echoing across the square, “Tonight, we will witness together the miracle of creation.”
He finished and opened the doctrine, preparing to begin the ceremony.
Su Fu: “!!!”
She wanted to run, but there was nowhere to run.
If she left now, wouldn’t that be the same as admitting something was wrong?
If this person really was the Fugitive Priest, then according to the Tempting Serpent, this priest was extremely powerful—even the Central Inspectorate had to be deployed to catch them.
How could she, a mere fledgling, possibly resist?
Not to mention—this was a fugitive from the Paradise Pantheon.
What if they carried a forbidden item like the Angel Feather Pen, and she ended up cursed?
That would be the end.